Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 716 Return to China and Press Conference
Under Nike's arrangement, Chen Ran and James met in Melbourne, Australia.

After all, among these "three big GOATs", he and James belong to the Nike camp, while Messi belongs to the Adidas camp.

In fact, Nike really wants to promote Ronaldo as the "goat" of football, but the latter's performance in the World Cup is really not impressive. In five World Cups, he has scored zero goals in the knockout rounds.

No matter how thick-skinned you are, you can't call yourself a "goat", so you can only praise Chen Ran and Lao Zhan.

He couldn't remember how many times they had met.

From his conversation, it seems that James no longer has much desire for the championship. After all, he knows that age is not forgiving.

Top players are not very willing to join the Lakers, and the only teammate he can really rely on is Anthony Davis.

"My dream is for father and son to be on the same stage. It will come true if I wait another two years." James said very firmly. This has become his last obsession to stay in the NBA.

He believed that this was absolutely an unprecedented and unparalleled record.

I finally have something that can surpass Jordan.

What can Chen Ran say? He can only wish him success.

I didn’t have the chance to see this in my previous life, but maybe I can really witness it this time.

Then, with the help of Nike, the two reached some business cooperation in the sports field.

Immediately afterwards, James posted two crown icons on INS, indicating that this was a collaboration between the two goats.

Chen Ran was actually a little speechless. This guy seemed to be wanting to declare to the world that he was a "goat" all the time. He was almost going crazy.

Especially when this guy looks in the mirror, he will involuntarily make the "wearing a crown" action. Don't get too involved in the role.

"Old buddy, in fact, a real goat does not need to show the outside world that he is a goat all the time. If you show it all the time, it will make you look guilty." Chen Ran thought to himself with a smile, but never said it out loud.

However, he is a person who does not like to meddle in other people's affairs. How the other party behaves is his own business.

Anyway, he deserves the title of GOAT.

Compared to basketball, the criteria for judging GOAT in tennis as an individual sport is very simple. First look at the Grand Slam, then the year-end championship. In addition, Olympic honors can also be used as a way to block black fans.

Back then, Nadal fans were always dissatisfied with Djokovic's GOAT status. A key point was that the latter did not have an Olympic singles gold medal. It was not until Djokovic won the championship in Paris that they completely shut up.

But if all this happens to Chen Ran, there won't be any doubt.

Grand Slam titles, year-end titles, weeks as world number one, and Olympic gold medals, his honors have been all-encompassing.

Now, it's time to return home.

……

For all the media and spectators who traveled to Qatar to watch the World Cup, the journey was somewhat magical.

When they went abroad, the country had not yet been unsealed, and they were prepared to be quarantined upon returning home.

But when they returned to China, they were informed that the quarantine had ended and they could return home directly.

After three years, it finally came to an end.

Everyone seemed to be frustrated. For example, Hangzhou announced that the Asian Games would be held as scheduled next year, and the Chinese Tennis Association also announced that the tennis season would return next year.

At this time, Chen Ran also returned to China with his family on a private plane.

Since he announced his retirement plan, there has only been one remote interview with official media.

Chen Ran had just returned to China and was immediately flooded with interview requests from various media outlets.

The topic of his retirement once again frequently dominated major social media platforms.

"Would you go for 40 Grand Slams?"

"What kind of results do you aim to achieve in the Paris Olympics?"

"Without you, will Chinese tennis go downhill?"

Questions came one after another, and Chen Ran answered them patiently. After all, China hadn't had a fourth Grand Slam champion for a long time.

Tennis beauty Wang Qiang has been runner-up twice, but she has never been able to unlock the achievement of a Grand Slam championship.

Since Li Na's last Australian Open title in 2014, China has not had a new Grand Slam champion in eight years.

Once Chen Ran retires, no one will be able to take over the torch, which will also lead to a decline in the popularity of tennis in China.

To give the simplest example, although the prize money of the US Open has always been high, ranking first among the four Grand Slams, because the United States has not produced a men's Grand Slam champion for a long time, the prize money increase for tennis tournaments has been slower than expected.

Just compare it with the NBA next door and you will know that their salary increase has reached a terrifying speed, and various sky-high contracts are emerging one after another.

Not only in men's tennis, but even in women's tennis, the United States currently has no dominance.

Since Serena Williams retired, a group of Eastern European women have almost dominated the tennis world, which has caused the WTA to feel overwhelmed but helpless.

What’s more, the three-year epidemic has made the tennis market even worse due to the absence of the Chinese season.

Fortunately, Wang Qiang's performance is still good and she can barely maintain her position in the Chinese market.

In comparison, ATP's financial situation is much healthier.

Even if Chen Ran retires, it will not be seriously affected to them.

After all, they also know that historical top-level players like Chen Ran are hard to come by.

Not to mention that there won’t be a second one in China, there won’t be a second one in the entire world of tennis.

"At least so far, there has been a surge in outstanding male tennis players in China. There are about three people who have the ability to enter the second week of a Grand Slam, win a tour championship, or even enter the top 30 in the world rankings."

"In the future, I believe that China will continue to train male players with tour-level strength."

"So even if Chen Ran retires, I believe China's tennis market will still be booming."

Not only the ATP, but also the Chinese Tennis Association is optimistic.

They all know that this day will come sooner or later, and players at the Grand Slam champion level are hard to come by, and it cannot be produced simply through training.

After returning to China, Chen Ran immediately held a press conference and revealed his plans to participate in next year's competition.

The focus is naturally on the four Grand Slams, and other competitions will be participated in selectively.

Having missed the Paris Masters and the year-end tournament this year, his physical fitness has been well-reserved, and he hopes he will not miss the French Open again next year.

"Normally, I have three more chances to play at Roland Garros."

"It was only twice at Melbourne Park and the All England Club, and probably only once at Flushing Meadows."

Since it has been decided that the Paris Olympics will be the last dance, Chen Ran naturally will not be able to participate in the US Open next year.

"But I can't guarantee that I can complete it. Everything still depends on my physical condition."

"Starting from next year, my preparations will all revolve around the Paris Olympics."

"As for the goal you mentioned, I don't need to hide my thoughts. It's naturally the gold medal. I hope to end my last dance with this gold medal."

"40 Grand Slams? I just let it happen. I don't force it."

The grass courts of the London Olympics and the clay courts of the Paris Olympics, plus the slow hard courts of the Yanjing Olympics and the fast hard courts of the Athens Olympics.

Doesn’t this correspond to the stadiums for the four Grand Slams?
Especially in the Olympics on grass courts and clay courts, these are opportunities that can only be encountered by chance.

If Chen Ran won the Olympic gold medal in these two different natural venues, it would be a legend among legends.

After stating his goals, he ended the press conference and announced the start of his new round of winter training plan.

……

(End of this chapter)